The Problem

Its Friday afternoon and you want to spend time with your daughter. You call for her and she runs over to you with a DVD. You two are about to catch up on your favorite movies while sipping hot chocolate. But then you remember there is a pile of laundry to do. And your vacuum cleaner has been sitting idle for a little too long. What about the dishes? Sure, those things do not ruin your life. But it would be nice if they all disappeared. They say the average housekeeper spends 13 hours a week on housework. That is a lot of time.

Now imagine if you had an Uber for housekeeping. You open your phone, hit a request button, and within minutes, you are immediately connected to a “tasker” who is willing to perform the tasks you specified. Like Uber, you can see their picture, profile description, and star rating from previous users. Your tasker is at your door in minutes and your entire itinerary of chores is taken of.

Taskers Come to the Rescue

The incredible features described above are what make up bTaskee, a Saigon based startup. Founded in April 2016, the group is currently changing the lives of Saigon citizens with plans to expand elsewhere. Taking cues from successful predecessors, the app contains all the socially-driven features you would expect from sharing economy providers like Uber and Lyft.

bTaskee also goes beyond those features and offers a “Favorites List” where you can keep track of your favorite “taskers” and request them again. You can also turn on a “Repeat” feature that allows you to schedule routine cleaning sessions every week. If you need the “tasker” to do extra work, simply put the desired tasks in your request and bTaskee will see who is up for it. While the app is currently only available in Saigon, the team is working fervently to expand to other cities.

The Sharing Economies of Asia

bTaskee is one of many sharing economy companies revolutionizing Asia. It stands in the same class as peers like Triip.me, which turns any citizen in any country into a professional tour guide for a day. To date, Triip.me features over 4,000 tours in 98 countries. Other sharing economy applications prevalent in Vietnam include ILikeLocals, WithLocals, and AirBnB. Uber entered the market in mid-2014.

Le Mai Tung, CEO of Vietnamese rideshare platform PinkBike, said “I think everyone knows about it and everyone likes it. It’s a no brainer. Now they talk about “Uber for massage,” “Uber for haircut”, or “Uber for delivery” – whatever. Everyone is aware that sharing economy is the coming wave.” Vietnam is clearly hopping on the trend, and bTaskee is charging at the forefront.